Desire Marea - Desire [Independent] 2020 song Tavern Kween

It starts with a distorted horn intro—epic, eerie, regal: a good summation of South African Desire Marea's debut album, which pushes the boundaries of club music to the limit. "Tavern Kween" resides in disco territory but lacks the easy melodic payoff. "Thokozani" drifts at first and then is propelled into an utterly euphoric breakbeat percussion blitz. Desire is marked by these stylistic shifts from song to song. Few albums cover as much ground across nine tracks as this record does. It's high art emboldened by the grimy underbellies of electronic and experimental styles. When Desire sings, it's as serene as Moses Sumney and as emphatic as ANOHNI. And the production only amplifies Marea's might.